Jefferson Associates, Inc. | The Leading e-Business Enabler

Our IT Consulting Practice

Based on the ability to implement the Jefferson Blueprint ® (a methodology to measure and improve operational services), our consulting practice can aid an IT organization to implement all or part (based on priorities and needs) of the disciplines required to provide world class service (tailored for the business). The approach is to ensure the alignment of services to the business as well as consistent execution and acceptance by the organization. The five step approach consists of:

Business to IT Alignment

Organization

Process Management

Information Technology Services

Managed Change

One - Business and IT Alignment

A strategic plan, to the prioritized initiative level, must be constructed and communicated to all employees and leadership. This plan will address four areas of importance (consisting of the next four steps). Aligning the strategies and operational plans of IT and their internal customers is the most important issue for IT organizations. IT has the potential not only to support chosen business strategies but also to shape them. The four ingredients of alignment are Planning, Communications, Funding and Action.

Normally in today's organizations, processes and technology are in no state to be improved slowly and quietly. The optimal approach is to view the organizations as a Process Centric unit and integrate plans and initiatives to align organizations.

Applications and Development organizations may retain their autonomy, however, they must change their integration and communication with IT units such as operations (or Infrastructure).

Two - Organization

Organization, the first dimension of the Process Centric model, focuses on the critical skills and leadership to implement and improve processes along with the technology required to support the model. Processes fail on implementation due to two main factors: leadership is not bought in and a natural resistance by employees to change (See Managed Change) .

A focused organization with practiced, dedicated and informed leadership is most important to the organization and its structure. Leaders that communicate, plan and offer a strong sense of teamwork are critical to improving process performance within organizations. They must be picked carefully and with the defined values in mind.

A skill inventory along with strong Roles and Responsibilities must be enforced. Along with the "soft" skills to shape employee behavior - Appreciation, Recognition, Roles & Responsibilities, Compensation, Disciplinary Actions, and Personal and Technical Growth - necessary to the attaining and retention of skilled IT resources.

Three - Process Management

Organizations often have conflicting or missing Systems Management and Non-Systems Management processes. Processes critical to the operation of an Infrastructure organization are:

System Management Processes Asset Management Availability Management Backup and Recovery Change Control Help Desk/User Support Performance and Capacity Planning Platform Operations Problem Management Critical Problem Detection and Management Security Management

Non-System Management Processes Communications Design and Implement Services Program Management Resource Management Service Level Management

These processes must be prioritized based upon critical resources and the needs of external organizations. (See the Jefferson Associates Whitepaper - Process Management).

Four - Information Technology Services

The third aspect of the Process Centric model is the technical services provided to the business. These services (most commonly known as Systems Services) are the backbone of providing technology may be grouped into the following broad categories:

Application Environment Business Applications Development Services Shared Applications Data Services
Distribution and Communication Presentation Services Common Services Data Services
Foundation Interface Services Network Services
Delivery Operating Systems Systems Management Services Hardware (Workstation, Servers, Special)

These processes must be prioritized based upon critical resources and the needs of external organizations.

Jefferson Blueprint™
Jefferson has a copyrighted approach and methodology to "normalize" the Systems Services and management of the services (Processes and Procedures). Creating a database matrix with services at one axis and processes at the other completes this effort and provides Service Element definitions at the juncture of the many cells. The Jefferson (Systems Services) Blueprint aids an organization by providing:

Required Principles and Policies - that do not exist or need refinement.

Comprehensive IT Architecture - identifying technical components that are redundant and required.

Procedures Definition - identifying those that exist, are missing or inadequate.

Prioritized Systems Management Processes - workflow groups and workflows at a defined level of maturity.

Identified Responsibilities - Group, Team and Individual responsibilities for specific technical products and their management procedures.

Classification of Technical Components and Service offerings

Resource Management - Persons responsible for both the procedures and service at its juncture.

Correlate Services to Procedures - processes to responsible individuals, teams and groups.

Verify Operational Staffing Levels - to execute procedures, activities, workflows or processes to individual or groups of services.

Manage Costs - provide the cost of supporting each technical component or service.

Five - Managed Change

Critical to emerging or changing environments, Managed Change addresses the behavioral aspects to complete any organizational improvement, create a Process Centric organization and manage culture. A major implementation requires a revolution in implementing these key areas. The two major factors causing a Process Centric approach not to succeed: lack of support from leadership and the natural resistance of employees to change. A Managed Change approach integrated with the four other areas is critical to success.